Moving Beyond Opinion to Absolute Trust

The ability to evaluate, understand, and apply claims of truth to life is a necessary, priceless commodity in our current cultural and political climate. Chasing the storyline of the day and capturing its significance seems to be as easy as herding cats spooked by their environment which they are contained. The stability we seek and the comfort that we desire are found only in the words that remain true no matter the challenge or nature of the changing times.

Still today, the words of Jesus clash with the opinion of commentators who have never embraced the unique character and divine authority of Scripture. Consequently, the answers needed for problems in society escape the wisdom of the influential in our world and those having the primetime voice of our media outlets.

Those who hold the truth of Scripture and are gifted by the Spirit of God to apply the Word to Life find clarity and confidence in walking by faith.  In John 7:40-52, the conflicting opinions of Jesus’s authoritative and insightful word resulted in uncertainty among the unbelievers who were ever so close to the truth.  Finding confidence in the words of Jesus leads people through a sovereign corridor navigating through the darkness. The search for abundant life can only be found in Jesus Christ. Revisit your trust in His words so that you might know how to live in the midst of conflicting opinion - not only in the secular world, but even among those whose partial trust in the wisdom of men may be exposed and redirected by the Spirit of Truth.

Remember Where You Came From

I remember when I was growing up that there was a caution often repeated to those who left home to go to college or to a job that would take them to a place far away from where they grew up: “Remember where you came from!” It was a reminder to the young adult going out to experience and to learn how to navigate the world in pursuit of success. Many of those who had gone out into the world had firsthand experience that one’s character and person could be greatly affected by this new discovery of life. They knew that the core upbringing which was taught would endure the challenge and shape the young adult so that they would not lose themselves in the pursuit of success. If they returned back home with a taste of arrogance in their new found success, the people in that family or community would repeat, “Remember where you came from.” It would serve as a reminder to the young adult to check their pride and reclaim the principles of character by which they had been raised. There are times, especially in our youth, in which we can lose sight of the important matters of character we received in our upbringing. For many, the character they developed from their youth kept them from losing perspective and a way of life that is honorable was preserved. For others, the loss of principles that may have protected and kept them from the storms of life resulted in severe consequences. They had forgotten not only where they came from, but who they were as a person of good character.

All is not lost in the parent-child relationship, even when a young adult loses his or her way. A good parent is there to remind them and help them to return to the basics, so that the path may be clear and the potential for regaining character may be pursued. For those who belong to God, our Father is there. He reminds us of who He is and whose we are. He reminds us of the character that ought to govern our lives. We should reflect Him in the world. Our Father is an awesome parent. 

In Isaiah 1:2-3, the Lord reminds His people about where they came from.  He comes to them and reminds them of how He raised and parented them for blessing and success. The Lord pointed to the source of their problem. They fought against the One who loved them and they caused themselves pain by forgetting where they had come from.  Beloved, at all times, “Remember where you came from!” The Lord is always there. Turn to the Father.  He loves you no matter where you are.

Don’t Draw Your Confidence from the World around You

This phenomena does not escape people when it comes to Jesus Christ himself. In John’s Gospel, we see that the initial ministry of Jesus is fraught with awe and draws attention and acclaim from people in every place. Those who witnessed His extraordinary presence and activity began to have designs of their own about how He should implement a strategy of success for their own benefit and goals. His growing popularity was also an offense to the ones whom he replaced at the top, as their ratings and polling positions dropped significantly.

But, at the apex of attention at one of Jesus’ rallies (John 6), we begin to see the precipitous fall in his popularity as Jesus moved to highlight His words as far more important than fulfilling the appetites of men. In John 7:1-13, we see that not only has Jesus lost the crowds, found his polemic with Jewish teachers, and been dismissed by His disciples (except the Twelve), but that his own brothers are suspicious of him. Jesus remained in the will of His Father to do ministry.

Our desire to serve - and do - the will of God in our lives must embrace the path of Jesus. This includes not setting our sights on a numerical growth curve to measure our faithfulness. Otherwise, Jesus himself would have to be considered a failure in real-time ministry. Let us embrace the reality that we live in a world that is preconditioned toward the things that are in opposition to God. 

Always maintain a newness about how you have been called to serve the Lord. In this way, your joy will be complete, knowing that you are doing what the will of the Lord is. Do not be moved by the social ingenuity that moves ministries to adopt human activities that will never produce what only the Spirit of God alone can accomplish. What He makes new never grows old or out-of-date. It perseveres, endures, and will stand until the day of eternity.

Children Hear the Voice of the Father

We often make matters more complicated than they ought to be. In particular, I am speaking of the identity of people who claim that they know Jesus. Also, the other issue at hand is how we should engage those who perhaps do not know Him. Believing in God is directly tied to the initiative of the Father to bring believers to Jesus. What is key to this belief is the believers’ ability to gain knowledge from the Father to recognize the Word of Life that has come down from heaven.

Simply put, we know that children in both private and public settings respond distinctively to the voice of a parent. As a father, my children know my voice, and when they were young both their ears and their eyes were indicators of their recognition of who I was; they were keyed in to my voice. At times, they would come running to me when I got home from work and they would draw near to me in times of uncertainty and fear. Of all the voices of other men that may have been around, my voice was the one that they could pick up in an instant.

So it is with the word of God and Jesus. The Father is at work drawing His children to Him so that He may gift them with the right to become children of God (John 1:12). This is the reason that we must give people the word of God as clearly as possible. It is foolish to think - or worse, to say - that the exposition of God’s Word is unnecessary or ineffective in any society or at any time. We know even more about our Father as we understand Scripture. It is also the method by which the Father gains the attention of those who are to be His own (John 6:45). The same word that God uses to draw His children enables them to see, understand, and know. They are taught about the Savior, His Son. All who are drawn to Jesus are at the behest of the Father’s love.

Let God’s children hear God’s voice, His word. If they are His already, they will recognize the teaching and grow accordingly. If they are lost and need to find their way to Jesus, there is no better way than to make known God’s word. Expose people to the truth of Scripture. Other anecdotal methods of reaching people today are never to be compared with obedience to the mission of God to speak His words. After all, His children will pay attention to the familiar words of the Father and they will be drawn to His Son. If they do not hear, it is because the Father’s voice is unfamiliar and Jesus will ever be unrecognizable to them.

Do I Have to Ask God for It Every Day?

Why would a prayer for bread be one that must be addressed every 24 hours (Matt 6:11)? It is more than that thing we do over our food (A preemptive strike before we go in on our meal). While we like to prepare and plan for longer stretches of time, buying food that can last for a week, two weeks, or a month, we are led to recognize our needs on a daily basis. Perhaps there is something that we ought to learn from the past in God’s dealing with His people. God did not allow the children of Israel to gather more manna (bread) than they needed, and if they did it would produce a foul odor. Exodus 16:6 states, “…the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.”  It seems that the Lord wanted them to live out all that He taught them in obedience. This is a physical lesson to test the people concerning a spiritual matter: obedience to God.

I have come to learn that my spiritual life and success depends on Jesus. (Some would say, “Well, about time you got that point, Gilbert.”)  He is the everyday source and sustenance that has no end. He is also the table that I occasionally ignore in my hurriedness to conquer life out of my own strength. Let me be clear: I recognize Jesus every day, but at times I assume that I have had enough of Him to last me for a few days, testing my own ability to carry me through. So, I will pray, ‘Lord give me this day my daily bread.’ I need the Bread of life, Jesus Christ. All believers should acknowledge our need for Him on a daily basis. Otherwise, you just may have a religious life that has an odor apparent to those around you.

Beloved, trusting in religious practice can be a fatal flaw that exposes dependence upon the flesh.  That is why every day is a new day to ask God to supply our daily need. Yes, there is more than I will ever need in Christ Jesus.  But to keep Jesus as the priority in my life is a test of faith that I embark upon every day. Today Jesus, I need you more. 

Be Careful of the Crowd Noise

There is always something exciting about a crowd.  You know that something is happening even if you do not know what it is. Everyone is there for the experience, but not everyone has the correct understanding or the precise meaning of why each individual has gathered. Sometimes a crowd can hide the true meaning of a gathering in order to focus on some other alternative objective. For example, I love to go to sporting events on occasion and my wife likes to go sparingly. When we get to the game, I am examining all of the details of the plays and players as they take the field and strategize on how to overcome an opponent: this is the main purpose for the sporting event.  My wife, on the other hand, finds people-watching and the scenery of these events as more entertaining rather than what’s happening on the field, although she is aware of the scoring and cheering that follows. So, we are at the same event but are seeing very different perspectives on what is most meaningful. 

The crowd at the scene of Jesus’ miraculous feeding of thousands does not seem to be on the same page with the importance and purpose of the gathering or mind-boggling miracle that has just taken place. So, they follow Jesus with more concern about what they get out of the gathering (“Let’s make Him our King!”) as a whole rather than why Jesus performed such a miracle in the first place. The crowd’s prowess in following the steps of Jesus for their own individual goals appears to lack awareness of the action and teaching of Jesus. They are to understand and know who God is and believe in the One whom God has sent to them.  In this case, Jesus calls for a break from the crowd and asks his disciples to follow Him in belief. The Son of God was sent from above to provide that which sustains the individual for eternity, not just that which serves a temporary but real pleasure. 

People want what they want. God never seems like enough to those walking in darkness. Jesus’ followers are standing on shaky ground with half-hearted faith. We must lay down personal agendas in the wake of trusting in the work of God through Jesus Christ.

In all your getting, realize that understanding has more significance than placing your belief in material satisfaction and personal greed. We are called to have a personal relationship with the Lord. We must learn to trust and to know Jesus. We ought to be caught up in who He is and desire spiritual matters that are important to our understanding and walk with Him. Don’t allow the crowd’s noise to distract from accomplishing the will of God through you in Christ Jesus.

A Faith that Walks on Water

In the midst of seeing God work in powerful ways, we must be careful not to fall in love with what appears to be a successful ministry. I am not asking that individuals in the church become cynical and perhaps even reject the miraculous. What I am suggesting is that we measure our own faith in light of the miraculous; that we trust the Lord in every way in our lives, even when the stage is not so large, where others can see the same things that we see. While it seems that Phillip was pessimistic about the ability of Jesus to feed the crowd and Andrew was optimistic, per say, they both had their own level of doubt about Jesus after the many miracles He had already put on display.

Jesus pulls away from the crowd after working for the Father in feeding the multitude. He goes to be alone with the Father, a communion that repeatedly occurs during His ministry and is noticed by His disciples. In John 6:16-61, another test of their faith has been set. The followers of Jesus need to see the fullness of the Son of God and believe in His power to meet not only the needs of others, but to also be with them in their time of need. Their faith must be increased so that they too can do the will of God in the midst of great uncertainty.

Can you imagine what kind of spiritual glow was present after Jesus fed ten thousand people with two sardines and five breadsticks?  There they stood with 12 baskets of fragments, leftovers that would carry them forward in their journey and mission. No need to go to the market tomorrow! Gathered together, they perhaps had thoughts run over and over in their minds. “Did that really happen?” “Unbelievable! This is beyond all that we could have imagined.” “I’ll never doubt Jesus again after this!”

But we must take care not to get too confident about how much we trust in Jesus. Because just when we think we have faith that can conquer mountains, we too might be drowned by the shifting of waves. One by land and two by sea. The tests of the disciples’ faith are presented.  The first test on the mountain has shown that the coming of the Son to do the work of God found a tepid faith.  The second, in the sea, challenges their faith, revealing the Son of God as the One in control of His creation.  The success that Jesus is looking for brings the crowd to understand and know God through Him and His work in this world.  Oh, Lord! Increase our faith!

So, Now What?

The issue of addressing injustices will always be on the human agenda. This is because of the imperfections of individuals within community and society as a whole. This does not negate the fact that God cares for the widow, orphan, and oppressed. Every decent or moral-leaning society should address as best as possible these problems and others. But the limitations of the secular move to address these matters are far more impotent than the ability of the people of God to do so. These matters will not be conquered by celebrity or cash. And although Christian and civil disobedience have made critical impact in the life of our own nation, the goal and glory of God is that people are changed from the inside out in order to worship Him. 

If we are His children and representatives on this planet, then we must abide by His instructions regarding varying injustices and their potential remedy. Part of the problem with this is that the people of God often prefer to just do ‘something’ rather than not anything. And when doing just ‘something’ rather than not anything produces close to nothing, we pat ourselves on the back and keep doing ‘something’ rather than what God prescribes as the answer. So, while we gear up for protests, marches, writing letters of our stated positions, and holding councils and panel discussions to attempt to bring unity out of divisiveness, let us take seriously our newest efforts to address injustices. We have done all these things, and I am sure that we can find some good as a result. But, let me ask the question, “Aren’t you tired of seeing the same thing with the same results and with little progress in the human condition?” We can almost guess what the next steps will be for secular action and unfortunately, it is similar to what the Christian community will prop up as an answer as well.

Please let me suggest what we all in Christian community could state as the answer, but often leave the response wanting because of the cost and time it will demand: building relationships in community through biblical discipleship. The injustice concerning race in our nation demands that the church commit to the task and stop giving it lip service. Ethnic relations would find bridges of unity through authentic life-on-life sustained communications. The truth of only one race would be realized if churches would not settle for the diverse look on Sunday which appears that there is ethnic unity although we never see one another outside of a church scheduled event. For example, “Do you know the extended families of other ethnicities in your church?” Discipleship goes further than that. Our whole lives must be open to one another. I have to end here, but let’s realize that Jesus’ answer to unite humanity under the love of God still stands, “Make disciples of all people groups, ethnicities!” You know the text (Matthew 28:18-20). Are you living out its truth?  Have you ever lived out its truth outside your own affinity group? Can someone model your life in obedience to this open life demand? Racial reconciliation is a by-product of this kind of life. The answer may lie in the simple obedience to this answer that has been there all along.

The Testimony Is Veiled to the Unbelieving

As a result of the Jews questioning Jesus’ source and authority to do the things that He did, Jesus unveiled His relationship with the Father and the works that He was doing..  It appears that they had no problem with a supposed anonymous healing of the lame man, according to some superstition.  This is not questioned. What is questioned is who told this man to take up his pallet and walk on the Sabbath.  No punishment for the lame man. They just wanted him to expose the one who gave him the instructions.  Where is their commitment to the Law? Or could it be that they are more concerned about their power or authority being challenged above the offense of the lame man?

We must remember that Jesus came to dispel the darkness as the light of the world. Thus, we must conclude that in both religion and relationship, Jesus reveals the Father’s love and purpose through His life and works. Consequently, the truth about His mission and His relationship with the Father is made known. True religion finds its basis in the work of Jesus Christ, and a relationship with the Father is only through Jesus revealing Him.

In our passage of John 5:33-40, Jesus communicates the multiple witnesses to the revelation of His works and words to the Jews, an unbelieving group whose intentions are to kill Him. If only they would listen and understand the One before them, their mission would be challenged at its core. After all, Jesus is equal to God. He is God in the flesh, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (1:14)

Beloved, even those who reject Jesus are offered an opportunity to hear from Him. It may be a foregone conclusion that they will reject Him, but Jesus’ task of being light and life for men is now. His function as Judge, as we have already seen, will come in the future. Right now, He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (1:29) The witness deck is loaded and the first to stand for Jesus is John. Then follows the works that Jesus does, the Father Himself, and the very Scripture that these men hold dear to themselves. All of these come alongside Jesus in confirmation of His identity. This is what must be believed. Otherwise, any religion short of this understanding falls short of knowing God. Call witnesses to the stand!

An Uncommon Vessel to Reach Beyond Ethnicity

Jesus came into the world to reach humanity.  He is not partial in that manner, although His task and order is fulfilled within the will of God.  In Jerusalem, Jesus reaches out to Nicodemus, who literally and spiritually stands in darkness.  Jesus moves the conversation from religious measure to what must be done from above for one to have eternal life. 

In John 4:1-9, Jesus travels to Samaria where darkness also grips humanity. This time the impartiality of His mission includes not only male subjects, but a woman and one of a different ethnicity.  ‘God so loved the world’ means exactly that!  What an example for the disciples to see as they too were captured by their own customs that would have prevented such an encounter. 

Let us too see people that need Jesus not by their failed religion, not by their personal status, gender nor ethnicity.  It is the whole world that needs Jesus. Step into the opportunity to show people the love of God without partiality, and the grace that leads to salvation.